Local pro fighter Beau Hamilton prepares for televised MMA fight

Thursday

Apr 4, 2013 at 10:40 AMApr 6, 2013 at 7:21 AM

Bill Choy

For local mix martial arts fighter Beau Hamilton, MMA is in his blood.There's nothing quite like stepping into a ring and duking it out with an opponent, he said."I would do this for free," Beau said. "It's just something that's in you. I can't explain it. You either have it or you don't. It's a passion for me."Hamilton, who lives in Montague, is taking a 2-2 record as a MMA pro to the King of the Cage Fighting Legends bout on April 13 in Oroville Calif., at the Gold Country Casino and will face Dan Price in a main card bout. The fight is in the 160 pound division. Price comes in at 6-4. The match is set to run on national television on MAVTV along with the other main card fights."This is a pretty big fight for me," Beau said. "I'm excited about it. A lot of UFC fighters have fought in King of the Cage matches."Beau is heading to Oroville a few days early so he can meet with the media and talk about the bout. Hamilton said that it will be a new experience for him and said he a bit nervous but excited knowing he will be fighting on TV."It still haven't sunk in yet," he said.Hamilton said a victory could help him get more fights and perhaps being an MMA fighter as a full time occupation. Currently, Hamilton said he also does odd jobs to make ends meet."I want to work my way up and make this my career," he said. Hamilton said he certainly would like a career like his close friend, D.J. Linderman, who won a MMA title last year. Linderman recently moved from Yreka to Texas and has two pro bouts coming up. A story on D.J. ran in the Daily News last week.Hamilton said he still constantly talks to Linderman and said he has been a great encouragement to him as he prepares for his bout.Hamilton has been hard at work training at Dosomthin Athletics Gym in Yreka. He is working with longtime friend Tommy Davis, who founded the gym, in preparation for the bout against Price."Beau has been with me and the gym since day one," Davis said. "We fought our very first fights together. He has a ton of experience and is still very young. Beau could be the next big thing out of our gym."Hamilton said that Davis has done a terrific job getting him ready for Oroville. It means a lot to have a good friend like Davis that has so much experience being in his corner, he said."He's able to bring out the most of your abilities," Hamilton said.Davis said he has been very impressed with how sharp Hamilton has looked while training and expects him to perform well in the bout."He's very exciting to watch," Davis said about Hamilton. "He always brings it. He can finish guys from anywhere he wants to. April 13 will be Beau's biggest fight to date. He's hungry. He's in good shape and I'm expecting a win by finish."Hamilton has previously fought a few pro boxing matches. At this time, Hamilton said he has decided to not pursue pro boxing and put all his efforts into his pro MMA career. Additional information on the fight can be found at www.kingofthecage.com. For more info on dosomthin go to www.dosomthinathletics.com